Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Journal 6 Miranda

The most important character in the book besides Ishmael was Gasemu, his childhood friend. Gasemu was a brother to him and they fought together through the war always checking in on each other to ensure no fatal injuries or harm had done. Page ninety-nine is where they say goodbye to each other as Gasemu was badly injured in battle and lost large amounts of blood. Ishmael states "For a few minutes I tried to imagine what it felt like for Gasemu when his fingers vibrated to let the last air out of his body" Showing that Ishmael was trying to understand what Gasemu was feeling when he died. This was the end of his innocence and childhood, this is when he began to not trust the world because he's seen what it does.I feel that Ishmael is being rehabilitated as he is learning how to trust again by trusting Esther, and being able to go to America and having the opportunity to speak the truth about Sierra Leone because that has been his life growing up through the war. I believe rehabilitation is possible after war, it will be a long and strenuous process but if there are people that are willing to help veterans through the process then it is possible to try. If he needed to move into my neighborhood I would be fine about his presence, as long as he did not have any weaponry in the household or that he could obtain incase another nightmare or flashback were to happen. It would be beneficial for him to be in a supportive, positive and hopeful neighborhood.( If there is such a thing.)One lesson I can take from this book is that hope is everywhere, even if it seems all hope is lost. Ishmael finally got out of the bad situation that he was in by being moved to his uncles house, and the opportunity to go speak in the United States of America while he was being rehabilitated from war and learning to trust again as Esther never gave up on him.One thing i learned outside of the book is Ishmael also has another book called "Radiance of Tomorrow" Which was published in 2014 which is about two friends who return to their village Imperi after war.